Power Outages

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This just in: In an almost punitive move, PG&E has taken to cutting off power when it gets windy. They blame powerlines being blown down as the cause of fires. No one disputes this. Just as no one disputes that PG&E has spent decades not spending to fix this problem.

A couple of weeks ago, PG&E gave us 24 hours notice that they would be shutting off our power. Somehow, this failed to register as a big deal with me. After all, my neighborhood would lose power about once a year for about 2 to 10 hours. A mild inconvenience at worst.

This was different.

First of all, the timing was surprisingly bad. We knew the power would go out at night. What we didn’t know is that the power would go out while our beds were up in the sitting position as we watched TV. Yes, we have these beds that move your back or legs up as desired. We were in a full sitting position when everything went dark. “No problem,” we thought as we reached for the electric control to lower our bed.

That was the moment when we discovered that our bed would be sofa-shaped until power was restored.

The next morning we discovered that our electric oven wouldn’t be working any time soon. The outage was scheduled to last for several days.

My refrigerator and freezer, upon discovering that power was gone, immediately began to generate heat. It was like appliance revenge. “This will teach you to not appreciate us.”

We couldn’t cook. All of our food went bad.

Two things that made this even worse: (1) It was going to last for days and (2) Power was out everywhere.

If I wanted a cup of coffee, I would have to drive 20 minutes into San Francisco where they had power. I went to the local Safeway and found it looked like something out of a movie. The store was open but the lights were out. Everything that required refrigeration was off the shelves. Dry goods were going fast. I wanted some instant coffee but that shelf was empty.

So…how did I survive?

Step one. I ordered a jar of instant coffee from Amazon and it showed up the next day.

Step two. I broke out my camping stove and did all of my cooking on that. This actually worked out quite well as I have a good stove and lots of propane.

Step three. I ran an electric cord from my car’s A/C outlet down to my bed (about a mile away) and used that power to put my bed back into a “bed” position.

Step four. I then used my car A/C to charge a powerstrip which powered all of our computers and phones.

So I survived, just short of resorting to cannibalism.

These power outages will continue into the future. It will take PG&E forever to fix their powerline situation.

My plan is as follows: (1) Get a home battery that will be used to keep our refrigerators and freezers cool. (2) Solar panels to power the house and recharge the battery. Estimated cost: $30K.

Not cheap but it will eventually pay for itself and increase my home’s value. And most importantly, it will protect me from the inevitable rise in power costs and PG&E funds the much-needed work ahead.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Lowering The Bar

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This just in: I’ve been quiet for some time now as this season of Trump plays out. However, I need to let off just a bit of steam.

Let’s ignore that Trump says, “You can grab them by the pussy if you’re famous.”

Let’s ignore Trump trashing a Gold Star Family.

Let’s ignore Trump saying, “I like soldiers that weren’t captured.”

Let’s ignore the affairs and the payoffs.

Let’s ignore the “I love Putin” behaviors.

Let’s ignore that daily lies.

Let’s ignore the complete ignorance of how an economy works.

Let’s ignore the breaking of treaties and the damage done to NATO.

Let’s ignore the abandonment of the Kurds to Turkey’s genocidal mercenaries.

Let’s ignore the increased nuclear threat of North Korea and Iran.

Let’s ignore the corruption and the imprisonment of nearly everyone associated with this administration.

Let’s just focus on the latest scandal. The scandal that says the president of the United States withheld desperately needed arms and funds from Ukraine unless they would help smear a political rival.

This started with a whistleblower; a person of no further relevance since everything this person said happened has been verified by several other sources with not a single source denying the claims. Yet….the Republican Party wants to “out” this person in clear violation of Whistleblower laws. There are two reasons for this. The first is a Distraction. They want you to focus on this one person and ignore all of those that followed. The second is Witness Intimidation. The Republican Party wants to send the message that if you defend the Consitution of the United States against this president, you will be put in danger.

Think of the whistleblower issue this way: A person sees a bank robbery in process and calls the police. The robber is caught red-handed. There are videos and witnesses. In comes the defense for the robber. This defender says, “You can’t convict my client because he can’t see the person that called in the crime.” This is the Republican stance.

So we started with a whistleblower and the Republicans screams, “Rumors! Hearsay! No proof of Quid-Pro-Quo (Latin for extortion and bribery)”

Then we got first-hand testimony. That got rid of the “hearsay” but still no quid-pro-quo.

Then we got the quid-pro-quo and the Republican defense became, “Well, he did try to do this but he never actually pulled it off because Ukraine got its support.” This is like saying “attempted murder” is not a crime.

Republicans cried about closed hearing; a process that was created by Republicans in the first place. When the hearings became public, they complained that it was a big show.

Republicans complain that the witnesses are not involved “directly enough” to count. When the Democrats try to get testimony from those that are directly involved, the Republicans defy the subpoenas.

Republicans have ridiculed military service members and career diplomats. Their strong arguments include “He was wearing a bowtie” and “He looks like a nerd.”

I watch all of this and ask myself “Why?” Why would anyone act like this? Why is the defense of Trump so strong, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that he is guilty?

The answer is fairly simple: Trump is offering his base and the Republican Party exactly what they want…

They want a White and Christian America.

Keep that last line in your mind any time you question the behavior of a Republican and it will always explain their actions.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Interviewing Republicans

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This just in: The White House, a couple of weeks ago, released a partial transcript of a phone call between Trump and the leader of Ukraine.

There are two things about this; one is in dispute and one is not.

First, Trump asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden. The president of the United States asked the leader of Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political opponent. This is not in dispute. You can read it yourself.

Secondly, it appears that Trump is asking for a favor (investigate Biden) in exchange for U.S. military assistance. The reading is fairly clear on this but if you don’t want to see it that way, there is some wiggle room.

Both of these are wrong, highly illegal and impeachable offenses.

There is a whistleblower that is also saying that Trump said what we saw he said in the transcript. In other words, we have a transcript from the White House that agrees with the whistleblower.

In response, the Republican Party defends Trump by pretending the transcript, which we call all see, does not exist and therefore, the whistleblower is the only evidence of wrongdoing. They also say that we should make the whistleblower’s name public – the exact opposite of what whistleblower legislation allows. The consensus opinion on this is that this is just witness intimidation….which is also illegal but is now supported by the entire Republican Party.

Lately, reporters have been asking Republican Congressmen if it is okay for a president, any president, to ask a foreign country for help against a political opponent. They don’t say “Trump” but just ANY president. Note: The correct answer is “That is not okay and is highly illegal.” So, there is a simple, single, correct answer.

Here is how various Republicans are answering the question: “Is it okay for any president to ask the leader of a foreign country for help against a political opponent?”

“I like poptarts”

“I just pooped myself a little.”

“Red crayons taste strawberry.”

“What’s really important is Benghazi.”

“No hablo Ingles.”

“This is really about Obama and you see that politicians when climate change hoaxes us out about China is cheating really bad but sends beautiful letters while Biden which hunt.”

“I know a kid that belongs to 5 book clubs.”

“I am outraged that the Democrat committee arranged chairs in a semi-circle instead of a straight line. How is that fair? This is an outrage!”

This is just a small sampling. I wish someone would put together a string of these and post it on Youtube. I would find it funny. Republicans would watch themselves say something and then turn to whoever was watching with them and say, “I didn’t say what you just saw me say.”

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Soundbites for the Intellectually Lazy

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This just in: “The bullshit asymmetry: the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.” – Antonio Brandolini

I have used this quote before. It sort of goes along with the LBJ idea of “Make him deny it.” The thought is that if you are “denying, you are losing.”

Where am I going with this?

I have been watching Republicans for the last couple of years saying the most ridiculous things in support of Trump. For example: “The Mueller report completely vindicates Trump. Go ahead and read it for yourself.” They say this knowing that the Mueller report listed 10 instances of Trump obstructing justice. Not one. Not 4 or 5. 10!!

They tell you to read the report for yourself in order to increase the likelihood that you won’t. Faithful followers think, “My-oh-my… if he wasn’t telling the truth he wouldn’t say that…therefore…he is telling the truth.”

Today I watched one Republican after another say that there was nothing criminal or wrong in the whistleblower report. They even said, “Read it for yourself.”

They know two things when they say this. First, they know that someone like me will read it and then I will know that they lied. They know I have been doing this all along and therefore I know that they lie and am not likely to vote for them in the future. Secondly, they know those that are still Republicans are such because they don’t bother to check on the facts and will not do so in this instance.

The lies, in public, are just soundbites to be played on rural American’s conservative radio stations and on Fox News. These media outlets won’t play both sides, they will just play what the base wants to hear.

This makes everything fall into place. I once thought, “How can they lie like that when evidence that directly exposes them will be brought up within moments?” The answer: They don’t care. They are not lying for me. They are lying for the intellectually lazy. They are lying for people that still vote Republican.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

What a Fool Believes

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This just in: I was watching Trump make a speech at the UN today. I commented “I’m embarrassed that this guy represents the United States.” I only got one negative comment on that. Some guy said, “If you don’t love our country then you should leave.”

I immediately filed him into a file labeled “White male, gun owner, southern states, Fox News watcher” etc. I know I shouldn’t do that but hey…I admit that from time to time…I cast a stone.

I saw an article that talked about why people believe just about anything as long as if fits with what they want to be true. I assume, of course, that the article is talking about “other” people; you know….Republicans/Evangelicals. Certainly not me!

However, I can never be sure about…me. Maybe I’m the gullible one. Maybe history will show that Trump was a triumph of benevolent and studied leadership.

I needed a test platform…and Trump gave me one.

He is saying that he was concerned about his political rival, Job Biden, did something fishy in Ukraine. He didn’t know what it was but needed investigation. Trump, being a pillar of non-corruption, asked Ukraine to look into it. He also asked his personal lawyer to look into it. He didn’t ask the FBI to look into it.

So…I looked into it.

Yes, Joe Biden’s son worked for an oil company in Ukraine. He was paid a lot of money. If you told me he got the job because of his name, I wouldn’t bat an eye…because I don’t care.

Trump’s claim is that Biden held money back from Ukraine until they fired a guy that was investigating Biden’s son.

Here are the facts:

  1. Yes, Biden held back money until Ukraine fired a prosecutor.
  2. This action was NOT to stop this guy from investigating Biden’s son.
  3. This action was because the prosecutor was NOT investigating corruption.
  4. The United States made this move with the complete backing of Europe. Biden didn’t want Ukraine to stop an investigation into corruption; he wanted them to be more aggressive in their pursuit of corruption.

These facts, are the exact opposite of what Trump and now, the Republican Party are saying.

Furthermore, these facts are not hard to uncover. That being the case, Trump and the Republican Party must know the truth.

So, when they throw that Biden’s son distraction at us, we should know that they are lying directly to our faces.

However, word on the street is that Republicans do not feel the need to be honest with the Press.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Fear of a Bridge Too Far

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This just in: “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you are right.” – Henry Ford

Did you know that the first person to fly a plane and the first person to walk on the moon lived at the same time?

We are capable of great things.  I don’t say this as a way to cheer you on.  I’m just making an observation.  We have done great things and thus, I can reliably state that we are capable of doing great things.

Are there other great things that we can do, other than land on the moon?  I’m not asking about “speculation”.  I’m asking for evidence that we can do great things that need to be done.

Where am I going with this?

Of course, you already know….there is a list to be made.

  1. We can create a system of healthcare for all.  I know this because it is being done in all of the industrialized nations of the world; outside of the United States.
  2. We can create an educational system that prepares our children (and thus our country) for the future without creating a share-cropper type of indebtedness to pay for that education.  I know this because we have done it in the past and many other industrialized countries are doing so right now.
  3. We can keep ourselves safe in a dangerous world without spending 800 billion a year on the military.  I know this because we spend more than the next 10 “high spending” countries combined and yet…they are safe.
  4. We can put an end to the 80-90 gun deaths per day.  I know this because every other industrialized country has been able to do so.
  5. We can solve Climate Change. I am only pretty sure about this.  However, I do believe in science because…we put a man on the moon.

There is a reason we are not doing all of these great things that we are capable of doing – Money in Politics.

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!” – Upton Sinclair

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Being Republican

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This just in: I was at a dinner gathering the other night. One guy was very talkative and after discussing the highlights of his life for everyone, he went on to complain about bleeding liberals.

I kept my mouth shut since these were business associates and my political opinions need not be aired. However, the guy I’m talking about started off with how he lost a job opportunity maybe 40 years ago because he was white. My assumption is that he fell victim to some Affirmative Action program. He is still mad about that.

He rambled on about Liberal Education and such, eventually getting around to describing what we all know to be the policy of G.W. Bush. I’m talking about No Child Left Behind.

This guy couldn’t stop bashing this Liberal policy. Eventually, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and said, “Of course, you are aware that the policy you are talking about was put in by Bush.”

He didn’t even miss a beat. His response was “I know, it is a great policy it’s just that the timing was off.”

Unbelievable.

Let’s take a look at what policies you are currently supporting if you are supporting ANY Republican:

  1. You support racism
  2. You support no changes to gun control
  3. You support no protection of our election system
  4. You support our current lack of an adult foreign policy
  5. You support tax cuts for the rich
  6. You support skyrocketing debt without any public benefit
  7. You support any lack of infrastructure improvement
  8. You support going back to pre-Obamacare healthcare
  9. You support massive student debt
  10. You support unlimited money in politics
  11. You support attacking our allies
  12. You support befriending dictators
  13. You support attacks on our First Amendment rights
  14. You support gerrymandering and voter suppression
  15. You support massive cuts in government-funded science
  16. You support climate change denial
  17. You support tariffs and the $1,000 cost per family we are incurring
  18. You support reneging on international agreements.
  19. You support the United States retreating from the world stage
  20. You support Trump

Now, I know that if you are a Republican, you will look at this list and say something like “Hey! I am just anti-abortion. I don’t support that other stuff.”

My response is that you are wrong. Single-issue voters, like it or not, support everything the Republican Party does if they vote for these guys. There is no way around it.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Look Ma! It’s a Recession!

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This just in: I haven’t been blogging for a while. I’m not exactly sure why but “futility” comes to mind. I’m just one person shouting into the wind. However, I think the time has come for me to post a few times; at least enough to clear my head.

Today, I’m going to talk about economics and the coming recession. A recession can have a few definitions but generally, it is a fall in Gross Domestic Product for 2 successive quarters. In short, we become less productive for about 6 months or more.

The two options available are Monetary and Fiscal.

Monetary refers to the abundance or scarcity of money. When there is more money in circulation, we tend to spend it. When we spend it, companies have to produce more. Jobs are created etc. To put more money into circulation, the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates. Lower rates mean we can borrow money cheaply. We buy houses and then fill those houses with stuff. Historically, the FED will take a 6.5% interest rate and maybe lower it to 2% or something like that. However, right now, money is already cheap (2.25%) so there is not much room to lower it even more. So, monetary policy is basically neutralized…not available to make a big impact.

Fiscal refers to government spending and taxation. The government can raise taxes that will take money out of consumer pockets and thus, cut spending. So, doing the opposite – cutting taxes, will put more money into people’s pockets and increase spending and thus, get the economy moving. However, we have already cut taxes more than we can afford to (see skyrocketing national debt). But wait, the government can increase spending and that will put money back into the economy. This works! However, if we are already spending more than we have, this should be kept as a last-ditch effort. For example, deficit spending is considered one of the best ways to get yourself out of a recession, once you are already there.

Tariffs are a form of taxation. In spite of what you are hearing from the White House, Americans are paying the taxes we are imposing on Chinese goods in the form of tariffs. There is no economic justification for the current tariffs. Yes, there seems to be some political justification but that is more of a Trump Personality issue. If we remove the tariffs, that gives us immediate relief from one of the biggest taxes out there.

Immigration, or lack of it, is a real problem. If we don’t allow immigration, we will not be able to sustain any real economic growth. This is because our population growth without immigration is dropping every year. If we have a fixed population and we want to have economic growth, then those that are working, have to be more productive year after year. Imagine how much you contribute to our economy right now. Next year, you must do even more, then more again. Immigration is not an economic burden. Immigration is an Economic Necessity if we are to avoid a recession. It is an Economic Necessity if we find ourselves in a recession and want to get out of it.

Green Energy is the next big economic driver in the world. If we want to be a part of it, we need to start playing. Economically, I am progressive. I’m looking forward and all I see is Green. Someone that is conservative is holding on to a past that is fading in our rearview mirror. Yes, you can invest in coal…but I wouldn’t recommend it and it is an industry in decline.

Trade opens more markets for our goods. Trade deals help amplify the benefits of trade. For us to make these agreements, we need to do two things: (1) make sure the interests of the other parties are also satisfied or they will not play and (2) make sure that people entering trade deals with us are confident that we will hold up our side of the deal. Right now, the entire world is side-stepping the United States on economic issues because we satisfy neither of these two requirements.

That’s enough for now. Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Golf Hazards

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This just in:  Last week, I threw my 6-iron over a fence.

I didn’t plan on it.  It just happened. 

I saw a video on YouTube that said, “Swing your golf club and then let it go.  It will fly in the direction you are aiming your shot.”  Sound advice so I thought that I’d give it a whirl.

The setting: I’m at a driving range in San Diego.  I’m getting ready to play with 6 of my old Navy buddies.  We do this every year.  So, I’m warming up and for some reason, that YouTube video came to mind.  Since the driving range is not really a range; more of just a net you hit into, it seemed like the perfect time to throw a club.

So I did.

However, being unused to this idea, I held on a little too long.  The result was the club, instead of flying into the net 10 feet in front of me, actually flew about 30 yards over my head and landed in an area directly behind me that was surrounded by a tall fence with a locked gate.

There was no way in other than going over a fence that was specifically designed to not be climbed.  I eventually made it over and only tore both my shirt and my pants.  No worries though.  I had my club back. 

The return trip looked like a piece of cake as there was a ladder on the inside of the fence where I now found myself.  I used it to get up the fence but then, had to jump down from about 6 feet up.  No climbing down slowly because that was a sure way to rip my clothes even more.

I made the jump and twisted my ankle.  I rolled around for a bit of dramatic effect before getting up to dust myself off.  That was when I came face-to-face with the grounds keeper who had been watching the entire episode from a few feet away.  A grounds keeper that also had a key to the gate that was currently locked.

He just smiled and asked if I was okay.

It’s been two weeks now and I’m still limping.

The moral of the story here is obvious – Fuck YouTube.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

The Time Has Come to Impeach

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This just in: Bob Mueller spoke in public this morning for the first time in 2 years. His message is two-fold: (1) Russia did meddle and will continue to meddle in our elections and (2) Trump could not be cleared of Obstruction, nor could he be charged with Obstruction.

One might ask, “Why didn’t you charge Trump with Obstruction?”

Perhaps he had a list of reasons. Maybe there was not enough evidence. Maybe some witnesses were sketchy. Maybe there was reasonable doubt. Maybe he thought Trump’s actions were justified and thus, not obstruction.

However, he offered only one reason. A single reason for not charging Trump with Obstruction. That reason is that he was not allowed to by the policies of the Federal Agency that commissioned him to conduct this report.

That’s it. There was no other reason. Lift this policy and Trump is indicted. Pretty simple.

By the way, Attorney General Barr, clearly knew this and lied to Congress and the American public in regards to this. Barr is a liar and should be removed from office.

But, why am I now in favor of impeachment? Why, when earlier I was standing by Pelosi’s policy of trying everything else first.

I get the idea that Trump will not be convicted because the Republican led Senate will put party before country. I know this because they do this on a daily basis.

I offer the following 3 reasons:

  1. It’s the job of Congress to provide oversight of the Executive branch of the government. Failing to impeach Trump because it may be politically difficult is as bad as protecting Trump because he is a useful idiot for the Republicans. Democrats need to do the right thing and let the voters decide about them at the polls.
  2. Failing to impeach in the face of such overwhelming evidence is to say “Trump, and all future Presidents are above the law.”
  3. An impeachment, if it is truly justified, should result in the very public airing of all the contents of the Mueller report. If the Democrats are unable to convince us that Trump needs to go, maybe this too needs to be made public.

I think Trump is a terrible person and a terrible president. Obstruction aside, he is the single worst thing to happen to our country….EVER.

I’m convinced that a public impeachment will end his presidency. I also think that when the Republicans stand with him, they will be voted out of office.

Having said all of that, there are those that view Trump as a Messiah. They will see Trump’s guilty behavior and say, “Trump has a plan. We works in mysterious ways.” The impeachment will make these people feel persecuted and Trump will fuel that fear.

Let them be afraid. The rest of us have a democracy to save.

Up, up and away…

Jim